Tucked in the heart of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, skirting the Continental Divide, our terrain is nestled in the Arapahoe National Forest designated as the Jones Pass Wilderness. Operating in our permitted area of 2,600 acres with elevations from 10,500’ to 12,800’ we have access to three unique bowls with both touring and snowcat access. Terrain ranges from the following:

The high altitude combined with good Northern exposure keeps our snow cold and light. We have the powder, vertical and adventure for an epic backcountry experience.

Jones Pass Guides operates seven days a week and is one of the closest snowcat and touring operations located 45 minutes from Denver. Not sure about your skis for the trip, no worries, we have a fleet of demo skies including DPS, RMU, Black Crows, and Liberty options. In additional to the skis, we provide safety equipment incorporating a backpack, beacon, probe, and shovel. Additionally, we have a photographer that will be out with us to capture the stoke with shots available for purchase at the end of the day.

All trips will meet at our headquarters in Empire at 3 Park Ave. We ask our guests to arrive there at 8:00 to ensure a timely departure to our terrain. If other arrangements need to be made please reach out to coordinate. Our operation is in the zone by 9:30 and we are out of the zone and back to the trailhead by 3:30. While up in Jones, we strive to be safe, efficient, and timely to get you the most out of the experience as possible by maximizing our terrain. We average 9-12 runs per day and get plenty of vertical.

Lunches will be provided by Rudi’s Deli and water refill is available on the snowcat. A solid day out wouldn’t be complete without a end of the day après with refreshments at the end of the day, compliments of Steamworks Brewery.

The details

What to bring

Appropriate Skiing or Riding Equipment:

Ski boots and Powder Skies or Snowboard Boots and Snowboard
Synthetic or wool socks that are optimum for your boosts
Poles
Headwear - visor or cap, hat or helmet.
Jacket and Insulating layers
- Mid-weight base layer fleece or sweater
- Puffy Jacket
- Shell Jacket
Eye protection - sunglasses and goggles
Sunscreen and lip balm
Extra base layers in case it is very wet or you sweat profusely
Gloves or mittens
- Hand warmers
Water bladder or water bottle. (We can refill in the snowcat)

Optional Items

Phone, Camera, Music
- Snowcat will have an audio system to connect your device for music.
Personal snacks
- Lunch is provided but if you want some specific snacks please bring what you like

COVID-19 Items:

These items ar suggested if you have any concerns of Covid - 19. However they are not required.
- Face Covering
- Personal Hand sanitizer
- Rubber gloves if desired

Cancellation Policy

If you decide to move the trip or cancel there are some options.

We can offer a credit in the form of a voucher code for the reservation purchased that will be valid to book the same value trip within three seasons of the operation.
The final option is a refund of your purchase minus a 10% deposit to cover booking costs and related fees.

We appreciate your understanding regarding this, as it is a standard in the backcountry cat assisted operations.

Our precautions for COVID-19

What you can expect from us:

COVID -19 Operations Plan:

Our main priority is client and staff safety when concerning the pandemic. We want to respect every client's opinions, concerns, and feelings therefore, we will be enforcing masks when in the headquarters and in the snowcat. This may make it tricky to eat lunch and coordinate a few of the aspects but masks or face coverings will be required. Additionally, this is still being determined, but staff may be in a separate Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) other than the cat driver and additional staff in the front. This is to keep a good separation from our clientele in order to keep our staff healthy so we can operate through the season. Between every trip, the snowcat and items used will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

COVID-19 safety precautions provided by Jones Pass Guides and are not checked for accuracy by Origin.

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